Search Results for “photo albany through the haze ”

The smoke clears as the weekend approaches but I’m in as much of as a haze ever 🌁

Through the haze I think I can see the weekend though for a while walking yesterday I could feel my throat burning. Again the smoke alarm went off in the office from the wildfire smoke, the fire department came and switched off the alarm. I reviewed votes on calender 58B at one AM in the morning, flipped a Rules Report number got up at 5:50 am and started walking. A day in the life.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! On a clear day you can still see the weekend. Summer is still coming despite the smoke which started to part yesterday. Mostly cloudy with some smoke and fog around 47 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌁 Calm wind. The air quality index is 54. You can sort of start to breathe again this morning.

That cold cup of coffee ☕ helps a lot as died the cold air. My throat feels a lot better this morning, it really started to burn yesterday when I was walking in the mid afternoon after the smoke had appeared to lift but the air quality levels still were around 175. 🫁Walked 6 ¼ miles yesterday and 7 ½ miles yesterday which ain’t bad despite the busy schedule and noxious air. Reheating the eggs, spinach and vegetables from yesterday 🍳. A rich source of protein and energy for the coming day.

It seems like only a day more of wearing my oversized dress pants 🕴️which apparently the pair I had saved for today seems particularly oversized. In many ways I can’t believe how much weight I have lost. Now I kind of wish I had a working scale and weighted myself before I started this journey into healthy eating 🍏. I concede probably a lot of it was the two pounds of cheese 🧀 I was eating most weeks, which for as much as I love all things dairy 🐮, that’s a lot of saturated fat. I do like my new sense of taste and all interesting foods. I guess session could extend after midnight again but I don’t think I’ll be likely driving downtown to work a full day on Saturday though anything is possible. I just want things to wrap up so so I can get onto summer.

Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 67 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 3rd. Maximum dew point of 52 at 9am. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 75 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933.

Last night when I was working from home 💻 I made up another pound of rice 🍚 and lentils for the upcoming week. A mixture of red and green lentils in the rice as it was a red lentil week but I didn’t have enough. After lunch today the pound of black beans I cooked up on Sunday evening will be done. They were good especially cold with red onions. 🧅 I need to get to the store 🛒 soon as my fresh and frozen fruit supply has been mostly eaten at this point as I only have a single apple 🍏 left in my office 🏢 although I can finish off the red grapes 🍇 today at work. Yesterday’s dinner was the last of the rice with a thawed shrimp 🦐 and lots of kale. But I’m even getting low on frozen kale and spinach, so you know a real crisis in the pantry is ahead.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.3° from the due south horizon (-0.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:50 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 36 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:52 pm. At sunset, look out for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, an increase of 49 seconds over yesterday.

In an ideal world session would wrap up fairly early today, 🏡 I could get home early, take a nap 😴 and then get to Walmart around 8 pm when freshly stocked but that’s living in a fantasy world. 🧛 I think realistically the best I can do is try to get my steps 👣 in today, keep my eyes 👀 mostly open at work and celebrate 🎉 come tomorrow when the legislative session is done if it is done before then which I concede may be unlikely.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 48 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 16th. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 53 degrees. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1975.

I double checked to make sure my stove was off 🍲 and that the refrigerator was off and the iron unplugged before leaving home because I’m sure memory is bad at this point. 💁🏻‍♂️I’ll be glad for a more normal week next week though I have a busy one planned. Got to get my summer on. ☔ I forgot my umbrella again but at this point I don’t care if I get a bit wet heading home.🌧️ I’ll dry out my suit jacket, probably will need to be dried cleaned by January at any rate and I’ll throw the rest in the wash. Probably going to end up getting at least some new dress shirts and pants should I keep off the weight if not loose more through the end of the year.

On this day in 1972, severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, 🌊creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage. This one wasn’t blown up by the Russians. I have always been fascinated about some day maybe living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 🌲🌲🌲 Very wooded and remote, low taxes, good gun laws. If I was a Republican I would probably vote for their Governor in the Republican presidential primary as she is pretty damn sexy and has that flame thrower on her ranch. 🔥

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 27th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 8am. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2008.

I’m hoping to do the Gas Up 🚜 with dad on Saturday assuming that I’m not working. Then an overnight hammock camping 🏕 in the woods somewhere. I heard Stanton’s has fresh strawberries 🍓 which might be good as a snack at camp and breakfast the next morning, especially if I don’t have time to shop in the mean time.

Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. ☀ Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 59 at 7pm. I might do the Gas Up again on Sunday to explore more of it and get some ice cream 🍧 made with the antique churn and the Blackstone engine assuming I’m not too tired. Plus hike at Thacher Park. 🚶 Typical average high for the weekend is 78 degrees.

Next week, I have a busy week ahead. 🚲 I am hoping to get some advice on my bicycle from the Albany Bicycle Rescue clinic on Tuesday, which will hopefully get me on the right track. Then come Wednesday, I need to go to the store and get my propane tank filled 🏮 and food for the long weekend. I plan to take Friday off to head up to the Adirondacks, so I will be driving north on Thursday evening, hopefully to get the House Pond Campsite and the swimming hole. ⛺ And the Potholers Monday is Juneteenth and I’m planning to take off Tuesday, so I will probably camp somewhere different for the second half of the weekend. Maybe Stewart Landing and paddle Lily Lake 🌼 in hope that there will still be the lilies out on the lake. They come pretty early in my experience and are a easy to miss.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until National Nude Day 👱 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 85 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.

The haze this morning reminds me of a winter’s morning 🌫

Cool and gray though maybe not quite winter like. The light is just very dull this morning, the mountains mostly hidden by the haze. Maybe I’ve just forgotten what a cloudy day looks like after so many sunny days.

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Clouds, haze and 55 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. 🌫️ There is a west breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 45 degrees.

Made it second gear ⚙ of the week. I don’t think I stalled it going into first yesterday, letting the clutch out easily going through Monday and rolling ahead. It gas helped that I’ve been once again making it a priority to be asleep by around nine and staying in bed 🛏 without playing with my phone 📱. Good sleep is key 🗝 for good health. I like walking 🚶 in the evening but if it means cutting it back by a half mile to get to bed in time, it might be worth it. I did 7 ¾ miles yesterday.

Today will have a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds. Widespread haze before 1pm, then widespread haze after 3pm. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 71 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 16th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 11am. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 94 was set in 1925.

After what was kind of a carb heavy week last week, been trying to cut back this week. 🌯 I don’t have any events or receptions to go to this week. Cold lunch and dinner yesterday where good with black beans, red onions, mushrooms, peppers and I think some tofu last night. I actually packed rice, chicken and black beans but last night I got out of work at 6:15 and ended up eating a quick meal at home before walking. Black beans are my super food of the week, they fill you up quickly but I’ll rotate it out for something different next week I’m sure.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 70° from the due south horizon (-0.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:48 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:31 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 9:04 pm, which is 41 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:49 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and one second over yesterday.

I wonder if we will get the much needed rain this evening. 🌧️ It’s possible I don’t know. Still want to try to get my steps 👣 in for the day as I’ve been doing every day since mid January but this week could be a challenge with the late nights at work and unsettled weather patterns. You do the best you can, I tell myself. Once session is over for the year it will be much easier. 🌇 The rain should also help clear out the hsze in the sky.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Widespread haze before 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 50 degrees at 4am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 23rd. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1958.

Gas Up Weekend forecast still looks excellent 🚜 but with a chance of showers. 😎 Saturday, a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 53 at 7pm. Sunday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 78 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Primary Day 🗳️ when the sun will be setting at 8:38 pm with dusk at 9:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 82 and 47 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 81 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1953.

There isn’t a Democratic primary in Bethlehem 🐴 though there is a Conservative primary for Highway Superintendent which I can’t vote in as I’m a registered Democrat. It’s interesting to see that Albany County Conservative Party gave Marc Dorsey a Wilson Pakula especially with Craig Seals the volunteer fire fighter 🧑‍🚒 running as an enrolled conservative. Probably the cops back Dorsey, usually that’s who gets the conservative line. Ultimately though I’m not convinced winning 🥇 the conservative line matter much for either party.

Cold start to the morning but sunny ☀

Two loafs of bread, rice and lentils, beans soup cooking down on the stove. It’s good that I have so much food cooking on the stove this morning as I haven’t turned the heat on except for the electric blanket. Kind of a cold morning but I’m enjoying it and are out for my morning walk.

Good morning! Clear and 21 degrees at the Delmar, NY. 🌅 Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 9 am. 🌡️Seven weeks until 2024.

I’m out walking 🚶 this morning, kind of enjoying the cold ❄. It’s a rather crisp morning but a nice sunrise. I think I’ll enjoy the coffee ☕ even more when I get home. I am going to be wearing my gloves 🧤 when I ride to work. 🚲 I kind of like the cold. It’s good as who knows how many more days I’ll be riding to work, though if it’s snow-free or rain-free I’ll try to do the mornings. In the evenings, I’ll be taking the express home. 🚌

Today will have increasing clouds ☀ 👉 ☁, with a high of 42 degrees at 2pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 3rd. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 69 was set in 1964. 6.0 inches of snow fell back in 1886.❄

I am not super disappointed with staying in town this past weekend. 🌥 It was definitely cloudier and cooler then they had at first predicted. 🏘 Plus I had a great bike ride on Saturday, heading from home in Delmar to outside of Halfmoon on the Champlain Canal Trip. Sometimes you don’t have to spend a lot of money for a great weekend adventure. 😀 That said, I’m hoping for good weather come Black Friday, to get to back to the Adirondacks at least one more time for the year.

I did forget however to get squash when I was at the grocery store this past weekend. 🎃 Not a big thing but I would have liked some fresh baked squash of some sort this morning when I was baking. Instead, I ended up cooking up two loafs of bread. 🍞 It kept the oven full but I do like squash. Maybe I should run at lunch time some point this week to Price Chopper Downtown and get some squash — or Hannaford on the bike ride 🚴‍♀️ but the thing is I have enough food cooked up for now, that I don’t really need squash. Been a few weeks since I’ve had spaghetti squash, maybe that’s what I should get. Wednesday is farmer’s market day, might be a good day to get some. 🍆

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:41 am with sun having an altitude of 29.5° from the due south horizon (-41.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:54 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (239°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (246°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 5:05 pm, which is 59 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:40 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 41 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 51 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 11 seconds over today.

Getting up at 5 AM this morning to bake bread ⏰ means I’m tired, especially as I didn’t get to bed until a little after 9 PM 🛌 and then I awoke a few times during the night to run to the rest room. 🚽 It’s fine, I am often in a bit of a haze on a Monday but I think the cold air is helping a bit 🌬 as I ride my bike downtown. I figure I have the rest of the week to wake myself up. 😴 I’ll just hide behind my desk, slog through more cap grants.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 3am, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 32 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. Sounds like it will hold off for the evening walk. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 27 degrees. The record low of 12 occurred back in 1996.

Seasonably cool and sunny for opening weekend in the SZ. 😎 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 50. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Typical average high for the weekend is 48 degrees. Probably not what the hunters want but I’m not complaining. The following Monday or maybe Tuesday is pay day for me, which then hopefully I can start to pay back the loan I made from my various savings accounts to cover my credit card balance. 💳 I hate robbing Peter to Pay Paul but I’m a lot better off then many people. Between the car insurance, the blog hosting contract, summer and autumn vacations, needing better fitting clothes and healthier foods, money has just been flying out the doors lately — and don’t forget inflation. 💸 It’s really bad the way my budget looks currently.

With rifle season underway in the Southern Zone I’ll be staying close to home, but the following weekend I’m thinking of heading up to either the East Branch Sacanadaga or maybe Piseco-Powley if the snow risk seems low. 🏕 Probably the prior, even though I don’t like the noise there from the highway, I do like the fact I haven’t been there in years, the snow risk is relatively low, and it will be quiet people wise, especially as many hunters filter down to SZ for more action there. Probably also do a NZ hike, wearing blaze orange, on a more remote trail but one less likely to have much hunter pressure. 🚶‍♀️ 🦌 But that’s still two weekends away and weather could change.

Maybe this upcoming weekend though I’ll go mountain biking in the Albany Pine Bush 🚵‍♀️ hit up Aldi’s up that way and check out India Farmer’s Market for food and Salvation Army for more good-fitting clothes, especially dress clothes for work. 👔 I’ve gotten some nice stuff from the Salvation Army, but you have to watch out for stains and other imperfections. But being so much lighter these days 🤰 I fit into a lot more used clothing that is often quite good quality if you know what to look for.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Cyber Monday 🛍️ when the sun will be setting at 4:26 pm with dusk at 4:55 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 48 and 29 degrees. I might take that day off from work, to be as far away from Cybering as possible. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1896.

Stay home, save money 🏡

That’s one way to look at the weekend. I can’t believe we are going to have yet another cloudy, rainy weekend. I’m not spending the money to drive out to Schoharie in crap weather, especially as I don’t have Blackie, my bicycle yet.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Foggy 🌁 and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am. Or so I hope. Might rain or thunder some more, but hopefully not during my lunch-time walk, evening commute or evening walk. I’m noticing a theme here.

Out walking this morning. ☔ What a surprise, between the fog and the weather pattern were stuck in, it’s raining out. And it going to be cloudy and hot Saturday with rain come Sunday. Hey at least not camping saves money! Or so I tell myself. 10 ¾ miles walked yesterday, 42 flights of stairs up and down. I had time, I could have walked 🚶 more last night but I was achy and tired, 🛏 so I got to bed on time but woke up much too early, around 5 AM. But I got in close to 8 hours of sleep last night.

This morning is an oatmeal day. I almost would like oatmeal-banana pancakes, but I want to save the last two bananas I have to bring into my office at work to make it through Friday. Oatmeal with blueberries is a quick breakfast, I might throw in some walnuts, as I’ve had them for a few weeks now and don’t want to risk them going bad. I like walnuts, their healthy but a little high in fat My pantry at home is a bit picked over, but I think I still have healthy options left, especially after getting sweet corn and tomatoes yesterday at the farmers market. I was hoping I would have had an excuse to go to the store when I picked up Blackie, but not so far this week. I have more rice and lentils I can cook up tomorrow, and I took the black beans out of the freezer. I’ll probably have that with sweet corn and tomatoes tonight. And red onions of course.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌤️ 🌧, with a high of 89 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. Light southeast wind becoming south 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1894.

I’m still waiting for the call about Blackie from the bike shop. 🚲 I might not have been clear what I was asking when I called yesterday but it’s kind of weird to explain – they’re building the bike for me but I haven’t paid for it or even taken the proper size bike for a test ride. So I probably wasn’t clear what I meant about test riding the XXL bike on the phone, that it’s the one they are putting together for me to purchase. 📞 It was a different salesperson I got yesterday then who I talked to on Friday but I thought when they said it said it would be ready in a few days I would have it by Wednesday. I’m not going to take off time until I know it’s ready, though I will stop by Saturday to follow up. I really want to ask about the rack too fitting the bike. I am pretty sure that’s the bike I want, but I would want to make sure it fits before I lay down the big bucks. Plus Saturday, then is a good time to get groceries, even if it’s a bit crowded. 🍏 🥦

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.2° from the due south horizon (-1.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 21 seconds over yesterday.

Finally the farmers market 🌽 🍅 had tomatoes and sweet corn that made me happy. 😊 The fresh sweet corn was amazing especially with some MSG – I skipped the butter due to the saturated fats. Tomatoes were good though not as exceptionally good as I had hoped. If I don’t get to Schoharie this weekend it’s not the end of the world. There is farm stands going out on vacation, Sandell’s Farm going up to Piseco-Powley Road, and the best farm stands really are in August and September in the Schoharie Valley, and probably is the best riding of the Catskill Scenic Trail. 🚲

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy 🌩, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. Another night in the swamp. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. That sounds wet. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1940.

On this day in 1977, the Great 1977 New York City Blackout begins, 🌃 plunging New York into 24 hours of darkness, chaos, and crime. It really was a dark time in the city. This black out mostly effected the city, not upstate so much. Albany has gotten shifty after the pandemic but it’s nothing like New York City, especially in the olden days of the 1970s.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a slight chance of showers before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 71 at 10am. I’ll watch the radar, maybe I’ll do the town pool in the afternoon. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

If it only was slightly nicer out 🌤️and I had the bicycle 🚲 I would reconsider my plans to go to Schoharie. If the shop calls today or tomorrow and I can sneak out of work early and get the bike and groceries, I’ll reconsider my plans. It might be more haze then clouds and maybe it won’t be until late when the showers and Thunderstorms come rolling through. It would be fun to swim 🏊‍♂️ and see the auto show 🚘 and it’s going to be a hot one. Otherwise, there is always next weekend – the last one before Summer Vacation. 🏖

I am still hopeful that the through we are stuck in breaks up by August 🌧️ and we can finally have some nice hot and sunny weather ☀ with calm weather. I don’t mind some heat and humidity on vacation or for that matter when I’m at the Potholers in Adirondacks. 🏊‍♂️ Often the weekend before Summer Vacation 📦 I like to stay home and pack but I’m not necessarily convinced that is necessary as I pretty much know what I need and will pack only food for the first few days and get fresh food out in the Finger Lakes. 🍇 Next weekend if it’s decent I could do Schoharie or the Potholers, maybe extending the weekend by a day on either side of the weekend.

Looking ahead, next Thursday is Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

Second day of summer 🏖

Honest I’m up and going this morning, though I’m still in still in quite a haze this morning despite making sure to be in bed by nine o’clock last night.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Partly sunny 🌞 and 54 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 52 degrees.

Out for the morning walk 🚶 and I’m not feeling it today. 7 ¾ miles yesterday. I got to bed 🛏 on tike last night but I think I’m still half asleep despite sleeping in to six. The sun ☀ in sky helps a lot.

Hoping to walk down to the Park and Ride this morning, 🚍 as I’m running close to on time this morning and I have an extra lunch in the office 🏢 as I got home early enough last night to eat at home. Not a session day, they’re gone, so no shirts to iron.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 31st. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 67 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1954.

I think I’m good on groceries 🍏 through Friday night though I think tomorrow in the evening I’ll go shopping 🛒 after the store is restocked. I think I want to get more shorts and especially boxers and under shirts as my current ones are much too large and my boxers at times are slipping off. With warmer weather coming I should continue to think about quick cold meals that don’t require much cooking. Beans and rice are a once a week thing so they don’t require too much heat and can be eaten cold. 🥘

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.8° from the due south horizon (-0° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (297°). 📸 The sunset is in the borthwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 28 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 12 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west (266°) at an altitude of 30° from the horizon, 252,135 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 68 degrees. The dew point will be 57 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 22 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 seconds over yesterday.

Looking at my pay stub 🎫 person it looks like I didn’t get my federal deduction quite right so I’m going to have to talk to the pay roll office about fixing that today. State taxes are good. So I guess that’s a step forward. 👣 I’ll have to talk to the Payroll office to get that straightened out.

Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly between 11pm and 3am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6am. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1940.

Humid with thunderstorms this weekend. 🌩 Saturday, a chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 71 at 1pm. Sunday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

This weekend, I still want to look at bicycles. 🚲 I would really like to be able to start commuting to work as soon as next week on a bicycle. I am going to part out my existing bicycle, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be better to start out fresh with a good used or new bicycle, something more designed for road riding then a hybrid bicycle. Then keep it in good maintance, especially keeping that back tire well inflated. Bicycle tires should be checked weekly for pressure based on the bicycle repair manual I’ve been reading. Every day I delay, it’s costing me a bus fare 🚒 to say nothing of the health benefits of riding back and forth to work. Or how handy it would be able to set up camp and then ride to trail heads, especially in more spread out areas like Piseco-Powley Road or even Moose River Plains. 🚵‍♀️

I am also thinking about going to visit John Wolcott on Saturday and then do an afternoon hike in the Pine Bush. 🌲🌲🦋 I doubt I’ll see as many Karner Blues at this point, as we are a few weeks past the lupine bloom but it’s always a nice hike in the Albany Pine Bush, especially as dusk approaches. Plus I am sure I will end up forgetting to get groceries at the store on Friday and will end up stopping at Market32 in Guilderland, although based on the affordable surprisingly affordable prices at Hannaford in Voorheesville 🏬 maybe that’s where I should be going.

I am hoping the following weekend — Independence Day Weekend 🎆 to get out of town. A lot depends if they give us that Monday July 3rd off as a state holiday. It could happen. The issue is camping four nights straight — I’ll need a permit or have to move mid-weekend. I worry about things filling up, especially if it’s nice. I could do the Green Mountain National Forest, though I guess your not supposed to be lighting off fireworks in the National Forest, though I doubt locally they do much enforcement on the 4th of July unless it’s very dry. Plus, I want to get fireworks on my way out there. Piseco-Powley would be fun again that weekend, but I don’t know if I will be able to get a campsite, though maybe I could leave early on Friday.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot and humid weather, mostly sunny skies and the inevitable thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. I think I was out camping in Finger Lakes National Forest that week. Or 4 weeks, was that week before and I was in the office? I don’t remember. I should think about summer vacation and what week I want to take off. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

June 27, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Next Sunday is Independence Day 🇺🇸. It looks like Independence Day Weekend is trending upwards, although Saturday might still be rainy. I am thinking Piseco-Powley Road but I could change my mind. But first, it’s going to be hot.

This morning is partly cloudy and 78 degrees, here in Delmar. ⛅ And rising quickly. There is a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 71 degrees. The muggy weather ends Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓 Already pretty hot and sticky, it was pretty though sleeping last night, and I only expect it to get warmer as the day progresses.

It’s been a long while since we’ve had such oppressive humidity, 😅 I would say it’s been a few years since we’ve had such a warm spell. Lots of heat in recent years, but relatively few days with dew points in the 70s in Albany area.

Yesterday was a nice day up at Thacher Park, Thompson’s Lake and Five Rivers, 😅 but I tell you by the end of day it was real humid. Although I guess there isn’t much you can do about. I am glad I brought my portable battery backup, as I could use my phone all day for whatever. Worked out well.

Today will be mostly sunny and hot 🌞, with a high of 91 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 9am. Heat index values as high as 95. South wind 8 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1941.

This afternoon I am going to head out to my parents house. 🎣 I thought about going to out to Partridge Run to fish but with the heat there isn’t going to be a lot of fish biting I don’t think. I might go to Lawson’s Lake. My parents said I could spend the night in my truck, which hopefully with the fan will be cooler then at home.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.7° from the due south horizon (-0.1° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 85 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 24 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 72 degrees at 5am. 11 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 1am. South wind 6 to 9 mph. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became haze by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1970. That ain’t going to be good for sleep, but then again, neither was last night.

On this day in 1985, U.S. Route 66 is officially removed from the United States Highway System. You could no longer get you’re kicks on Route 66 because everybody was taking I-40 and I-44 through the heartland of America. 🛣 Times changed, although I bet 35 years later, they had wished they had kept the old designation on various state and county highways for tourist purposes — indeed some states have started signing Historic Route 66, through tourist traps and old routings of the US Highway.

As previously noted, next Sunday is Independence Day 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 8:36 pm with dusk at 9:11 pm. Already will have lost an minute in the evening. On that day in 2020, we had hot, humid, partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 89 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 104 back in 1911.

October 15, 2015 update

I decided to leave West Virgina on Tuesday, in part because I wanted to stay at a developed campground where I could get a shower, and because I was getting awful tired of the narrow, steep roads of West Virgina. I’m sure not every road is awful in West Virginia, but it sure seems like I have been driving up them – from Dolly Sods Road to Spruce Mountain Road – to say nothing of the somewhat larger but much heavier traffic of US 33 as it crosses Judy’s Pass to Franklinton then again over Shenandoah Mountain. I just hate the steep climbs, the descending in low gear, and the traffic wanting to blast pass.

Shenandoah National Park was on my list to see. I figured if I was going to be in West Virginia, I better also swing east to Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. I was generally heading that way from Grandy Creek, the other alternative was to head south to WV 22 and out that way, but I wanted to see Spruce Mountain, which there is a road that takes you up 4,823 feet to the highest point in West Virginia. You certainly can’t drive that high anywhere in New York on a public road, and only the highest of high peaks take you up there. The summit of Spruce Mountain is remarkably beautiful and mostly undeveloped besides a narrow paved road that takes you to the top, a small picnic area and observation platform. The drive down Spruce Mountain was so steep though.

US 33 was quite the climb and descent over the two mountain ranges from where I was to Virginia. It was steep but once you reached the Shenandoah Valley, US 33 cuts through a beautiful section of the George Washington National Forest without a bend in miles. You quickly forget the awful drive you just made over Shenandoah Mountain. To make matters worst, US 33 was being repaved over Shenandoah Mountain, so I ended up getting stuck at the bottom weighting for the pilot car to bring me and a long line of traffic up the three miles up it on the West Virginia side. The Virginia side was just as as steep, but the lanes were wider and despite the hairpin turns,seemed much more navigable.

Harrisonburg, VA is a pretty large city. I had no idea until I arrived downtown and had to fight traffic on six lane roads. The Shenandoah Valley was pretty with a lot of chicken farms and some dairies, but this general area was also rapidly suburbanizing, with houses abutting farms. I’m sure that leads to a strained relationship at times between the farms and the suburbanites. Smelled somewhat like farm country, not unlike around Lowville or any of the great agricultural valleys in New York. Harrisonburg sucked to drive through, but once you got 5 miles out of town it was a four lane road with occasional traffic lights and a fairly heavily volume, but eventually it became open, rolling country. US 33 drops down to 2 lanes with occasional passing lanes as you entered the park. I would like to get down and see more of the Shenandoah Valley away from the city. Maybe tomorrow or Friday.

When I first arrived at Shenandoah National Park I was under-impressed, as the section of Skyline Drive north of US 33 isn’t immediately impressive despite the overviews. The wonderful weather of Tuesday morning had turned to clouds as I headed east into the the front. It might have been sunny and beautiful in West Virginia, but by the time I was east in Shenandoah Valley it had gotten cloudy and hazy. The Shenandoah Valley also suffers from a major air pollution problem, which is somewhat less in West Virginia in the very rural area around Spruce Mountain. The wilderness area around Spruce Mountain and Dolly Sands is very impressive, some of the views at Shenandoah were less impressive.

I decided to camp at Matthew’s Arm Concentrated Camping Operation, the farthest north campground along the parkway – 21 miles from the northern start of Skyline Drive. It was a nice campground although it was fairly rustic. It has flush toilets and running water in the bathrooms, but it refill water containers, you had to drive to the trailer dump station and water filling area (separate faucets, obviously). One thing this campground lacked was showers, which was a disappointment. But they recommended you visit the pay showers 15 miles down the road at Big Meadows. This campground was $15 a night with no taxes or fees, it did not have electricity in the campground. They had heated bathrooms with running water. No hot water at Matthew’s Arm but they did have hot water at Loft Mountain. I had dinner and a few beers and was in bed by 9 PM. They openly allow (and sell alcohol) at the Shenandoah National Park campgrounds which is kind of nice. Still having neighbors and having to keep the music down and being brief with idling the engine to keep the batteries charged, is less nice.

I had to get up early to go to the bathroom, and ultimately decided to get up around 6:45 AM to drive over to one of the overlooks to watch the sun rise. While a somewhat cloudy morning, it was a beautiful start to the day. Broke camp around 9:30 AM and started south on the parkway, stopping at several of the overlooks, then when I got cellphone service, uploaded some photos to share with people, along with previous nights posts. Stopped at Big Meadows Visitors Center and also at the showers at Big Meadows around noontime.

In the nicer weather, spending more time on the parkway, showed how beautiful many of the views are along the parkway. The haze wasn’t as bad in the clear, drier weather, although still notable across the valley. Some of the overviews from Skyline Drive are remarkably beautiful, others less so. The leaves aren’t peak everywhere, but there is some nice colors showing up in various directions. Got a campsite at the Loft Mountain Concentrated Camping Operation. Picked a site high up on the hill, hoping to get cellphone reception and at least good radio reception. The cellphone reception was pretty marginal from camp, but I did have good radio reception for listening to any local radio station within reason. Watched the sun set from one of the overlooks. I retired to bed around 10 PM. Nice flush toilets, hot water, and heated bathrooms. Showers just down the road.

Today’s plan is to head further down Skyline Drive until I reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. I will probably go a ways down the Parkway, and hopefully find some place to camp at a campground along it. When I reach Interstate 64 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I will take that west back to West Virigina and on Friday night camp on at site along one of the roads in West Virigina. From there I will take I-99 in Pennsylvania to Wellsboro and the Grand Canyon Country, overnight there, and return to Albany on Sunday afternoon.

Andy Arthur.org

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